Hamilton was handed a drive-through penalty, but was able to retain second position in the race.

Di Montezemolo said: "That is a very serious and unacceptable event that creates dangerous precedents."

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, who was running close behind Hamilton when the safety car came out following Red Bull driver Mark Webber's spectacular collision with the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen, did not overtake the safety car, and went on to finish ninth.

But the timing and nature of the penalty on Hamilton enabled the British driver to build up a big enough cushion to complete the drive-through without losing a place. In finishing second, he maintained his position at the top of the drivers' championship. Alonso is fifth in the standings.

In a statement on the Ferrari website, di Montezemolo said: "The result of yesterday's race was misrepresentative. Ferrari, which showed itself to be competitive in the European Grand Prix, paid a price that was too high for respecting the rules.

"Meanwhile, those who didn't follow the rules were penalised by the race officials in a way that was less severe than the damage suffered by those who did respect them. That is a very serious and unacceptable event that creates dangerous precedents, throwing a shadow over the credibility of Formula One.

"We are sure that the FIA will fully analyse what happened, taking the consequent necessary decisions. Ferrari will watch this with interest."

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.